


The Road Not Taken

by CrowleyGirl, Writing Cat and Dog (CrowleyGirl)



Category: Superna - Fandom, Supernatural
Genre: Dean - Freeform, Gabriel - Freeform, M/M, Sabriel - Freeform, Sam - Freeform, Smut, castiel - Freeform, kinda character death, sorta slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-08-30 21:24:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8549638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowleyGirl/pseuds/CrowleyGirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowleyGirl/pseuds/Writing%20Cat%20and%20Dog
Summary: What if Gabriel had killed Lucifer at the Elysian Fields?PWEEZ COMMENT : )





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This was written with a friend of mine you can find us both on Fanfiction at A Cat and A Dog.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

\- The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

When Sam came out of the motel bathroom at 4 am in his flannel pajama bottoms, clean and ready for bed (as ready as he'd ever be with this whirlwind in his brain), he found Dean asleep and his own bed already occupied by just the archangel he and his brother had left for dead a few hours ago. Gabriel sat cross-legged in the center of the bed, and when he lifted his slack jawed face to look at Sam, the hunter caught the flash of tears in the light from the doorway.

"Gabriel? What are you doing here?" Sam questioned softly. The angel looked fragile, his eyes bleak and face shiny with tears. His jacket was splattered with blood as was his angel blade which lay on the edge of the bed. Gabriel stood slowly, legs shaking like he'd run all the way to the motel, and took three teetering steps towards Sam before collapsing into him, his bloodied arms wrapping around Sam's shirtless waist. Sam immediately drew back but Gabriel's grip held tight.

"I killed him, Sammy! He was my brother and I killed him. What have you done to me?" He wailed, his fingers gripping Sam's back painfully, tears spilling out of his eyes and smearing onto the hunter's freshly washed skin. Sam stood there shocked and confused, and a little disgusted, before he realized: "Lucifer? You killed Lucifer?"

"He was my Dean, Sam! I looked up to him, I loved him. Oh Father I'm so sorry, so sorry." He trailed off into more sobbing.

Sam couldn't help reaching out and wrapping the shorter angel in a hug. Gabriel may not have been his favorite person but he had just killed Lucifer and was clearly suffering. "Hey, hey." The hunter hushed him, stroking his shoulder, "It's okay." But the angel was inconsolable and his frantic crying eventually woke Dean.

"Sam, what the hell is going on?" He was still blurry eyed but he rose blinking from the sagging motel bed. "Dude, is that Gabriel? What's he doing here?"

Sam raised his hand protectively as Dean stood up. "No, Dean, I think it's okay."

Dean sat back down on the bed. "Ooo-kay, but what happened? Why's he in our hotel room at 4 AM?"

"I didn't mean to, Sammy. It was an accident. He just- I'm sorry..." Gabriel sniffled as Sam guided him to the bed and sat down beside him with Dean on the opposite side.

"Its okay, Gabriel. Just tell us what happened." Sam said reassuringly.

Wiping his face with his sleeve, Gabriel began quietly, "I wasn't going to kill him. I just wanted you to get away. I was stalling for time with one of my holograms when I made a noise, and he turned right into my blade and I would have never killed him, I swear." He buried his face into Sam again, shaking with grief.

Dean laughed grimly, ignoring Gabriel's obvious distress. "Well, I'm glad you ganked that son of a bitch. Good riddance if you ask me."

Gabriel's mood swung the instant Dean spoke. He let go of Sam and lurched at Dean as a tidal wave of fury washed over him. "HE WAS MY BROTHER!"

Sam got the raging angel in a basket hold before he could hit Dean. "Well, try not to murder mine!"

Of course Gabriel broke the hold easily. But he didn't go after Dean. Instead, he curled up and put his head on his knees. "Go away," he pleaded. "Leave me alone."

"Great. Where are we supposed to sleep?" asked Dean, but Sam stopped him. "Come on. We can share the other one."

Dean sighed. At this point they just had to sleep and it didn't particularly matter where. "Fine."

They collapsed onto the small bed, arms and legs overlapping, and both were asleep and snoring in minutes.

Reviews are appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

It was 9:00 in the morning when Sam woke. He would have liked to sleep longer but after years of sleeping Four hours at a time his circadian rhythms were ruined. For some reason, this never seemed to be the case for Dean as he was still sleeping like a log. He disentangled himself from his brother, always the closet cuddler, and sat up on the edge of the bed. His hair was ruffled oddly and one leg of his pajama bottoms had rolled half way up his thigh but he soon straightened himself out and shuffled over to the bathroom. He peed and brushed his teeth, put on some jeans and ran his fingers through his hair until it looked presentable. Then he went to check on Gabriel.

The angel remained curled up but had fallen over sideways sometime during the night his head just shy of the pillow and his feet dangling off the side of the bed. His clothes were rumpled and his hand wrapped loosely around the handle of his angel blade. Sam sidestepped one of the dufflebags Dean had cast away onto the floor and gently shook Gabriel awake. The archangel blinked sleepily up at him. "Sam, what are you doing here?" Then a shadow came into his eyes, and he looked away.

At that moment, Dean emerged from his hibernation with a stretch and a groan. "Mornin' Sammy. 'Time is it?"

"Past 9:00," Sam replied impatiently, "And about time you got up."

"Yeah, well I'd wake up faster if you got us some breakfasst," Dean bargined, earning him an eyeroll from his brother.

"Fine." Sam said, leaving Gabriel's side and exiting the motel room. Dean heard the car start and got up to brush his teeth.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam drove back up to the motel with bags full of food. He unlocked the door and called out, "Dean, I've got pie!" Hoping his brother had actually gotten up.

"Really? Awesome!" Dean grabed the bag of food Sam handed him and sat down on the bed to eat. While he stuffed himself, Sam glanced around the room and noticed they were alone.

"Hey, where's Gabriel?" He asked Dean.

Dean looked up from his slice of pie, "Oh... He left. Had business to take care of."

"Really? He left?" Sam questioned, Gabriel hadn't seemed to be in the best condition.

"Yeah, angel stuff. So, where to today?" Dean put his pie aside, dusting the crumbs off of his shirt.

"On with hunting, I guess. I got a paper." He tossed it to Dean and sat down to eat his own breakfast.

Dean rifled through the newspaper a bit before settling on something. "Hey, look at this. Man murdered in his house, doors locked, no sign of break in. Probably a ghost. You up for it?"

Sam closed his polystyrene box and set it on the nightstand. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Cat here. I know nothing much happens in this chappie, but just you wait...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's two chapters in two days for y'all! As a side note, Cat usualy does Dean's dialogue and I do Sam's -Dog

The case provided some unforeseen complications and the brothers didn't get back to the motel until dark. Sam was wrapping Dean's sprained wrist when a fuming Castiel appeared with Gabriel in tow.

"What were you thinking, Dean?" He barked. Dean jumped in surprise. "Gabriel just did the unthinkable to save the world and your ass and you just kick him out? Look at him, he's broken!"

Sam gave Dean his bitch face, "Seriously, dude?"

The older brother raised his hands, "What? He killed me. Like a million times!"

Sam just shook his head, "You don't even remember that. He killed his brother, Dean! Don't you think that should mean something?"

Cas opened his mouth to join in but Dean beat him to it, "Okay, okay! I'm sorry. We'll babysit him for a while, but one sign of a trick and he's gone! I'll go get another room for you two." He stomped out, clearly unhappy of the though of Gabriel staying with them.

Castiel went up to Sam, "I'll probably stay here for a night or two, but I need you to look after him when I leave. I've never seen him so fragile." He shook his head sadly, "He and Lucifer were so close, I can't even imagine what it must feel like."

Sam nodded, folding his arms and shifting his weight to one leg, "He called Lucifer his Dean."

"That sounds accurate." Cas rumbled. "Go join Dean in the other motel room. Good night." He said curtly and turned away to help the mute Gabriel to the far bed, leaving Sam to gather his and Dean's luggage and go meet his brother in the motel's main lobby.

"Cas seemed really pissed off." Commented Dean once Sam had joined him.

"Really? Ya think?" Sam snarked, glaring at him, "You kicked his brother out, Dean!"

"I said I was sorry." Dean grumbled, "but I still think that he's not our responsibility." He added, earning him an eye roll.

"Let's just get some sleep. I think we deserve it after that God-awful case." Sam said, ready to forget the whole thing for a few hours.

"Alright, we'll talk about what we're going to do with douchebag in the morning." Dean agreed, Sam didn't appreciate the name calling. Gabriel may have been annoying before, but to Sam's eyes, he'd well-earned their respect and forgiveness. He had paid dearly after all.

The brothers unlocked the room next to the angels, dumped their stuff on the floor, and collapsed fully-clothed on the beds. They were asleep in minutes.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Cas was gone when they checked on their original room in the morning. Sam knew he hadn't planned to stay long, but he wasn't looking forward to having to keep Dean in check for Gabriel. The archangel still wasn't speaking and it looked like he had spent the whole night staring out the motel's fingerprint-stained window. It wasn't until the had checked out of the motel and driven to the nearest diner for food that he spoke.

"I'll just stay out here," Gabriel had whispered sadly, curling his knees up to his chest in the backseat.

"You sure?" Sam checked, and Gabriel nodded. So Sam and Dean entered the diner alone. After they had sat down and ordered, Dean started to talk, "So what are we going to do with him?" He asked, staring at Sam almost demandingly. Sam shrugged, "The same thing we did for Cas, I guess. Take him on the road with us, hunt with him. We could use an archangel."

"Yeah, but does he even have his mojo now? I mean, he doesn't seem very powerful at this moment." Dean countered.

"Who cares?" Sam replied, "We'd take care of Cas if he didn't have his, wouldn't we?"

Dean sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, but this isn't Cas. This is the asshole angel that stuck us in tv land."

"Well, we'll have to figure something out, and having him hunt with us is about the only option we have right now. Cas wanted us to stick by him as much as possible. Which we currently aren't." Sam said in a tone that broached no argument. Dean couldn't think of anything else to say so he settled down and waited for the food. When it arrived, Sam finished before Dean and went to the Impala to check on Gabriel who was curled up in the smallest way possible with his head on his knees.

"Gabriel, are you okay?" Sam asked, sliding into the backseat so he could comfort the angel. Gabriel's head came up and Sam saw the tracks of tears that had run down his face.

"I would rather have died Sam, I was ready to. There's nothing left here for me. I can't go back to heaven, I can't masquerade as a god anymore, and neither of you want me to stay. It would have been better- "

"Hey, no no no." Sam cut him off, "Don't think like that, we do want you to stay. Well, Dean doesn't but I do. C'mere." He wrapped Gabriel up in a warm hug and Gabriel took a deep breath and let his head fall onto Sam's shoulder. They stayed just like that until Dean came out to the car singing, "'doo, doo, doo, looking out my ba-... am I interupting something?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Cat here. Dog and I are both very happy and grateful to everyone who reads our stories. We are budding writers who need feedback and LOTS of constructive criticism. Anything you would like to critique, question, etc. in your review would be extremely helpful toward our young writer skill-building. We love you!

About 200 miles out of Indiana, Dean stopped the Impala at some rickety old gas station to fill up the tank while Sam was sent in for drinks and some candy to feed Gabriel's sweet tooth. After grabbing some cheap beer, Sam stood in front the candy section and looked at all the different brands. While he was bending down to grab a couple bars of chocolate, a hand tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to meet black eyes as a knife swung at him from the side. With no space to dodge and no time to draw his own knife, there was nothing to block the swing but his own hand. As he grabbed the demon's blade and delivered a stern punch to the creature's jaw, the knife turned and sliced all the skin off the medial side of his left index finger. He let go with a hiss, but he had already bought enough time to draw his own blade with his right hand and plunged it into the demon's chest. The demon gasped and began to flicker golden-orange before before thumping to the floor, dead. Behind the deceased demon's body were three more, all with knives ready for a fight. He dashed around the aisle bend but two of the demons had covered the exit closest to the door. He turned to go back and saw that the last demon was behind him blocking off his escape. Before he could do much more than think oh, crap, the demons were on him. He shoved one of them into a shelf filled with brightly wrapped Pop Tarts and Rice Krispie Treats, putting it out of play for a few seconds. Sam used the momentum of the shove to swing his blade hard at the demon on his right, killing it before it could block him. The one directly behind him started towards the hunter, but Sam was quicker and broke its nose with his fist. The demon staggered backward but as Sam stepped forward to finish the job, he felt hands around his neck and was forced down onto the floor by the weight of the demon he had pushed into the shelf. He tried to yell for Dean, but the demon sat on him and all the air in his lungs came out onto the floor in a wheeze.

Helpless, Sam shut his eyes and tensed, waiting for the killing blow, but it never came. There was a blinding white light before a dead demon face landed an inch from his own. The crushing weight on his back was lifted and he rolled over to see Gabriel standing above him looking wrathful, a palm on the remaining demon's forehead as the light left its eyes and it, too, fell to the floor.

"Gabriel?" Sam said, confused and a bit amazed, "Wha-"

Gabriel held out a hand and pulled Sam up, "I sensed the demons when you hadn't come back. Also, I wanted some candy." He went and got a bag from the checkout and began loading it with Reese's, Nerds, Twizzlers, and every Mars brand chocolate bar in the place.

"So you're feeling better," Sam observed with a grin. Gabriel looked at him distractedly, "Hmm? Oh, yeah. A bit."

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." The archangel replied, a little too quickly, "We should leave. There might be other demons about."

Sam agreed and they left the store with beer and candy in tow. Dean was waiting for them next to the Impala.

"What took you so long, Sammy?" The older brother questioned, "And what happened to your hand!?" He added, noticing the blood and rushing to the trunk to get some bandages.

"Gabriel's got it." Sam said, as Gabriel had already grabbed the injured hand and healed it with his Grace.

Dean stopped shuffling in the boot of the car, "Oh good, so his mojo's back. What happened anyway?"

"Demons." Sam answered, "I suggest we get the hell out of here." He opened the back door for Gabriel and then went to shotgun after handing off the beers to Dean. Dean got into the car and ripped one of the drinks out of the box, cracked it open and took a long sip

"Don't drink too much there, bucko." Gabriel said in his old tone of voice, "Got precious cargo in here."

"Back to being a pain the ass, I see." Dean shot back, revving the engine and roaring away.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean stopped the Impala at another roadside motel at around nine. They were a few miles outside of the Missouri border and Sam had fallen alseep, tired from the fight. Dean went in to check them into a room while Gabriel gathered their luggage and woke Sam. "Where are we?" The younger hunter asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Dean said we're headed to Branson, Missouri. He said Bobby called in a case." Gabriel told him while dragging Dean's duffle bag to the front of the car where Sam was, "You feeling alright? That was a nasty wound." "It's fine." Sam answered shortly, descretly rubbing his hand as it twinged. Gabriel opened his mouth to say something else but Dean appeared out of the motel lobby door waving a room key. They grabbed their duffle bags and filed into the room, dumping the bags by the door.

After settling down into the garish yellow room, they decided to sleep immediately, but were faced by the dilemma of having only two beds. 

"No way am I sleeping with you again," Dean proclaimed, "Dibs on the single bed." He hopped onto the far bed, kicking his shoes off and rolling under the covers. 

Gabriel shifted his feet awkwardly, "I can sleep on the floor if you want me to." 

Sam shook his head, "No, it's no big deal. Dean and I sleep together all the time." He frowned at Gabriel's impish grin, "Not like that!" Sam sighed and went to brush his teeth and change, which both Dean and Gabriel neglected to do. When he got out of the bathroom Gabriel was already curled up on the side of the bed furthest from Dean. He looked so small tucked into himself. Sam shook his head and slid underneath his side of the covers, putting two pillows between him and Gabriel. 

It was about thirty minutes later, when Dean's snoring was keeping Sam awake, that Gabriel began to talk.

"Sam, hey Sam." He started, "Are you awake?" "Yeah." 

"You know those demons? The ones at the gas stations?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

Gabriel looked over at Dean to make sure he was asleep, "Well, I read their minds before I killed them... And I think they were after me."

Sam sat up sharply, "What!"

"Sh, sh, sh." Gabriel shushed him, "I don't want Dean to know, he'd... I don't know, I just don't want him to know, okay?"

Sam huffed, "We'll have to tell him, if there's demons on our tail..."

Gabriel shook his head, "No, I think they acted alone out of revenge for me killing Luci. It's not the demons I'm worried about." 

"Then what are you worried about?" Sam asked genuinely, pushing back the pillows so he could see Gabriel's face. However, Gabriel looked down to avoid his eyes. 

"It's just that..." He stopped, rethinking his words, "Sammy, I want you to know something." 

"What?"

Gabriel fiddled with the sheets, "Back there, at the Elysian Fields... it truly was an accident. I wanted to die, Sam. I was ready. After all that time running, it was finally going to be over," He shook his head, "I guess Dad had other plans." 

Sam could help but reach out to the grieving angel, "Hey, it's alright." He didn't really know what else to say. But as he opened his mouth to spout more reassurances, Gabriel looked up at him and closed the distance between their faces.

"Sammy, I think I need you." The archangel whispered, "I don't want to die anymore. When I'm with you, I want to live, for you." He closed the final inch and gave Sam a soft, tender kiss. It was quick, only a few seconds, but it shocked Sam to his core. Gabriel pulled back when Sam didn't respond, "Oh, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have..." He went quiet then crawled back over to his side of the bed, replacing the pillows between them. Sam could do nothing but sit there. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Gabriel, the archangel he was supposed to despise, had just kissed him. And he had liked it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this is Dog. This chapter was a little harder to write, but we got it done! Thanks so much for all the reviews and kudos!

Sam spent the remainder of the night mulling over Gabriel's confession and kiss, tossing and turning in the motel bed. He was so lost in thought he didn't even notice when the archangel beside him disappeared in a flash. The light outside was just starting to turn when Sam finally drifted off out of exhaustion, only to be woken by Dean just a scant hour later.  
"C'mon, another body dropped in Branson." Dean said, yanking the covers off his disgruntled little brother.  
"Where's Gabriel?" Sam muttered sleepily, noticing the empty side of the bed, "What did you do this time?"  
Dean trudged into the bathroom shouting behind him, "Nothing! He was gone when I got up."He poked his head around the corner with a foaming toothbrush in his mouth, "Can't say I'm not glad he's gone, though."  
Sam furrowed his brow, rather disappointed and a little bit worried that Gabriel had left. "Don't you think we should look for him? He could be in trouble."  
"He is."  
Castiel flapped into being between the two hunters, looking frazzled with his hair untidier than usual, "I sensed an overpowering use of angel magic outside of Illinois, close to the Elyssian Fields. Archangel power, two of them." "Oh great!" Dean said sarcastically, tossing on a random shirt. "Now we got a pair of douchebags to deal with!" Castiel continued as though Dean had never spoken. "Gabriel is in trouble and I need help. I can create a diversion while you two go in and get him."  
Sam crossed his arms, "You said two archangels? Gabriel and who else?" "Michael," Castiel said grimly, "I dont know why, but we need to hurry." He reached forward. "Whoa, we're doing this now?" Dean took a step back so Cas couldn't zap him anywhere. "No way am I risking my life for the Trickster!"  
"Dean, I think I should go. You don't have to come. " Sam reasoned.  
Dean sighed and shook his head. "Someone has to save your ass when this all goes to south." so he joined Sam and Cas tapped their foreheads, transporting them to the outside of an abandoned warehouse. The boys took out their guns, holding them at the ready. Cas passed Sam a spare angel blade, "Just in case. I'll go in first and get Michael out, you follow and get Gabriel." Dean shook his head, "No, I've got more sway with Michael. I'll go." Sam began to protest but Dean shushed him, "I need to do this." Sam nodded and watched as Dean entered the warehouse. In a few minutes, he exited with Michael, talking rapidly to distract him. Sam nudged Cas and they circled around, coming in through a back door. It was dark inside, the only light filtering in through the holes in the roof and small windows high up. Gabriel was being held with two guards in the center of the room. He was shackled and unconscious, his head lolling and a bit of drool running onto his chin. His shirt was torn open with deep lacerations running along his chest, and he was covered head to toe in bruises and blood. Sam and Cas tried to sneak up, but the angels sensed them before they got far. Cas took out his own angel blade while Sam hefted the spare. The angels split up, the strongest going after Sam. Sam took a chance and swung at him, landing a hit on the angels ear. The hunter used the time to plunge the angel blade into the angel's heart, closing his eyes as it exploded into white light. When he opened them, Cas's opponent had been dispatched in a similar way. They ran to Gabriel and Sam released him from the shackles, easily sweeping him up bridal-style. "Cas, can you renew the markings on my ribs? We need to make it so Michael can't find me." Cas nodded and did so, Sam gritting his teeth so he didnt cry out. With that out of the way, Sam continued, "Now zap me back to the motel with Gabriel and go help Dean. Cas agreed and touched Sam's forehead. 

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

They were transported back to their hotel room, where Sam laid Gabriel down on the bed he had slept in and went to get a warm, damp towel to clean the angel's wounds. He dabbed gently at Gabriel's swollen, purple eyelids and cleaned the blood off of his split lip. When the towel got cold, he went to wet it again and came back to begin working on his chest. The wounds were deep and looked painful, but as as he cleaned them, they began to heal. He looked up to see Gabriel, face clear and unbruised, eyeing him tenderly.  
"Thank you, Sam." Something about the way Gabriel was looking at him made Sam uncomfortable. It was too open, too trusting, like a child would look at a parent figure, and he couldn't help feeling a bit unworthy. "No problem," he mumbled awkwardly, but when he looked up Gabriel was already asleep again. He sighed and went outside to call Bobby.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is crap, but we got stuck and don't know where to go with this chapter. It will be edited heavily later. If you guys can think of anything to add or take out from this, it would much appreciated. We have better in store for the next chapter.

Sam woke up to a shrill scream. He jolted up and flipped on the bedside lamp to find Gabriel sitting up in the other bed, staring directly ahead. His breath came in sharp pants and he was shaking all over. A second or two later, he screamed again, this time with an emphatic "NO!" tacked on the end.  
What's going on? Sam wondered. Gabriel didn't even appear to be awake. Then he remembered the nights when he was young and Dean would shake him awake with comforting words after he'd had an especially vivid nightmare. Night terrors, Dad had called them. He jumped out of bed and padded over to offer the angel support. He sat down with Gabriel and began softly stroking his shoulders in the way Dean used to, but Gabe flinched every time Sam touched him, so he wrapped the angel in his arms and pulled him down so they were spooned together. Sam was so exhausted that when Gabriel's whimpers died down, he fell asleep almost immediately, still holding the archangel close.  
SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN  
What was that smell? Sam wondered. It smelled sweet, sugary even, but with an undertone of power, like thunder and heavy rain. He breathed deeper in an attempt to catch all the nuances of the scent. It was pleasant to him and remind the hunter of the many rainy days trapped inside of motel rooms with his brother. Sam opened his eyes to see the source and was met with honey-colored strands of hair draped over his nose. It took a few moments for it to register, but he soon realized with no small amount of embarrassment that he had been sniffing Gabriel's hair.  
"Smell something ya like?" came a sarcastic drawl from in front of him. Oh God, he was awake.  
"I - I was just - smelled something...interesting? And I wanted...I thought it might be food." He stuttered. Cheeks flaming, he extricated himself from the archangel and stumbled into the bathroom to perform his morning ritual. He told himself to ignore Gabriel, but the cheeky bastard refused to leave his mind. The hunter couldn't ignore that he had just spent the night intertwined with Gabriel in a rather intimate way. SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN  
Sam Winchester had been to so many Denny's across America that they had all begun to blur together. After checking out of the motel, Gabriel had asked for breakfast so now he sat in the red and gold booth with a loaded veggie omelet sitting in front of him while Gabriel looked on disapprovingly. The archangel's own breakfast of pancakes and a pumpkin pie milkshake made Sam wrinkle his nose, his distaste for Gabriel's sweet tooth evident.  
"Can't believe they don't have real maple syrup," Gabriel complained between bites,"This corn syrup stuff just can't compare."  
"Why are you even eating?" Sam questioned, having been curious for a while, "You're an angel."  
Gabriel shrugged. "Joie de vivre."  
"Aren't you a little short on that? Sorry, no offense."  
Gabriel picked up the unworthy pitcher of not-maple syrup, cocked his head, looked at it, and took a generous swig.  
He set the pitcher down with a clank and looked at Sam. For a moment, Sam could see the archangel in his eyes, the power, the loss, and an overwhelming sense of guilt. "It's called the joy of living, Sam. It comes from experiencing life, not wallowing in...whatever."  
Sam pointed at the syrup. "Did you just drink that?"  
And just like that, the moment was past.  
They were eating in silence when Dean called for their help on the Branson case. Sam had planned on leaving anyways, but it was nice that Dean had thought to ask for help.  
"Cas had to leave on angel business," the older hunter explained over the phone, " It's a coven, so I need some backup. Don't crash Baby on the way down here, kay?"  
Sam nodded, smiling a little at Dean's fondness for his Impala, "Okay, see you in a couple hours."


	7. Chapter 7

They arrived in Branson in the early evening. Sam carefully parked the Impala in a motel lot where Dean had told them to meet him, the car grinding to a halt. Dean was outside a room waiting for them

"I booked the two of you a room, you can babysit him while i get some sleep for once" Dean said haughtily, moving around them to inspect his car with an eagle eye, "Huh, not a scratch. Good job, Sammy." 

Sam rolled his eyes as he got out of the car and slammed the door shut, "No sleep for now, we got to take care of that coven. What's the story?"

Dean began explaining while he led them to their room, "There have been three deaths so far. A teenage girl was the first, she was found dead in an abandoned warehouse with her heart ripped out of her chest. There were some symbols carved into her body. Same MO with the other two, a thirty year old man and woman. I think it's for some kind of offering, maybe some pagan god they're worshiping."

Sam agreed, "Yeah, sounds like it. Have you looked at what those symbols were? It could help us find them."

"Nah," Dean said casually, "was waiting for you to do that. You're better at research anyway."

Sam sighed and went to find his laptop but before he could open it Gabriel spoke up, "Was it brutal?"

Dean looked at him, "Huh?"

"The hearts. You said they were ripped out of the victim's chest. How bad was it?" 

Dean shrugged, "D'know. Coroner said that it might have been when they were alive. Sounded pretty brutal to me."

Gabriel looked thoughtful, "This might not be a coven you're dealing with."

Dean frowned, "What do you mean? Looked witchy to me."

"There's a cult, usually based in Michigan, they call themselves the God-Hunters. That's what they do, hunt down pagan gods and capture and kill them. I had a run in with them once when I was still Loki. Nasty SOBs, thought they could best me. I was pretty sure I fried them all, but there may be some left."

"What makes you think it's them?" Sam questioned, "I mean, there's really not a lot to go on."

Gabriel grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the motel bedside table, "The symbols, did one of them look like this?" He sketched out a slanted line with three other lines through it and a dot on top. Dean nodded, "Yeah, just like that."

"Then it's them. I can track them down using what I remember from last time I met them."

"Why are you helping us?" Dean asked brashly, "There's nothing in it for you." 

Gabriel shrugged, but did not answer, instead he sat down on the bed and pulled up a map if Branson on Sam's laptop, "I'll have their location in a sec."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

The cult was harder to deal with than expected, their numbers having grown over the years. Gabriel had to use more of his angel power than he should have, leaving him tired and cranky during the car ride back to the hotel. His main target of grumpiness was Dean and he insulted him the entire time.

"Thank God," Dean sighed gratefully when they reached their destination, "I was about to shoot that God damn archangel."

"Can hear you." Gabriel griped from the back seat.

"Shut up for a bit, won't you?" Dean said, slamming the car door behind him roughly and turning to Sam, "Hate to just dump you with him. Sure you don't want to just kick him out?"

Sam huffed, "As much of an asshole as he's being right now, you have to admit we couldn't have finished that case without him."

Dean threw his hand up in the air, "Whatever. See you in the morning." 

"Yeah, see you." Sam grabbed Gabriel's collar as the archangel exited the Impala and dragged him into their hotel room.

"What the hell, Sam?" Gabriel protested, wriggling easily out of his grip.

San turned on him angrily, "I've vouched for you this entire time, but if you keep being such a dick, I will let Dean kick you out again!"

Gabriel took a step back, "Okay, okay, I deserved that. But it doesn't mean I don't think your brother's an idiot. How you two are related..."

Sam glared at him and he raised a hand in surrender. The hunter sighed again, "Let's just go to bed, it's been a long day." He shrugged off his shirt and climbed under the cover of his bed, changing into some pyjama bottoms under there.. Gabriel stood there awkwardly for a little while before approaching Sam.

"Can I sleep with you again?" He mumbled insecurely, fiddling with his jacket sleeve.

Sam opened his eyes half way, "Sure, whatever."

Gabriel smiled and clambered in next to the taller hunter, curling his body around Sam's. Sam felt him move after a while, the short archangel's leg going over him. Sam opened his eyes tosee Gabriel leaning over him, eyes dark with heat and intent and something that Sam almost recognised, something that sent warning bells off in his mind, but before he could process it, Gabriel turned and began mouthing his way down Sam's naked torso, and Sam, who hadn't had so much as a wank in weeks, lost himself to sensation. Sam had never been with someone so skilled. Any thoughts of refusal went out the window when Gabriel's lips touched him, and when his fingers brushed feather light down his neck all the way to the edge of his trousers and slipped teasingly under the edge, Sam suddenly found himself reaching down to untie the drawstring.

He didn't get that chance though before his pants were gone with a snap of Gabriel's fingers and Gabriel's lips were kissing their way down his groin to land on half-hard flesh. Sam bucked up off the bed as Gabriel did things to his body that no angel should know how to do, things that made him gasp and curl his toes, throw his head back and clench his fists in the sheets. Then, suddenly, after several glorious minutes, he stopped.

Sam's eyes shot open to see Gabriel kneeling over him buck naked with one knee on either side of Sam's hips, looking at him with that same expression from earlier, the one that he could not identify, before his eyes closed and he impaled himself on Sam.

"What the fuck?" Sam gasped even as his eyes widened and lightning shot up his spine, because Gabriel was so tight, he couldn't have prepared himself much, and it shouldn't feel so good but fucking hell it did, and Sam was helpless to do anything other than surrender to the sensation as Gabriel moved, his eyes scrunched up and his jaw set in what had to be pain. The rhythm was slow but deep, and it felt amazing, no girl had ever felt like this, but then, no girl he'd ever had was this - 

Masochistic. 

Even in the throes of sexual bliss, it hit Sam like a ton of bricks, and he sat up, locking his arms around Gabriel and rolling them over, pinning Gabriel underneath him and pulling out slowly.

"What are you doing? Stop it!" Gabriel snarled, struggling against Sam's grip.

"I'm not letting you use me to hurt yourself, Gabriel." Sam's voice was low and dangerous. "If you want to feel something, the least you deserve is pleasure, especially from the one you saved."

Gabriel looked hard at Sam for a moment, eyes flickering between his as he searched for the truth, before closing them and swallowing. "I apologise," he conceded. Then his lip quivered."I feel - my entire life there's been pain: anger or sadness, but...this hurts more, this emptiness. And I have to fill it with something. I thought that would work. But it didn't."

Sam thought back to the four months that Dean was in Hell, the things he did to demons and anything that got in his way, the things he considered doing to himself, probably would have done if Ruby hadn't been there to stop him, and the way he lost himself in her, using her, her body, her blood, to make himself forget. "I know," he said. "I've been there. And I can tell you that hurting yourself is just fighting fire with fire. But it gets better if you're willing to accept comfort."

Gabriel huffed, not quite a laugh, and narrowed his eyes at Sam. "Why would you offer me comfort? Look what I've done to you."

Sam quirked a backwards smile. "Yeah, I should hate you. But..."

"Hey, I get it. Gift horse, right?" 

Sam nodded, letting go of Gabriel and backing up to sit against the headboard. Whatever happened now would be Gabriel's choice. The archangel sat up slowly and approached the hunter, cuddling up beside him and laying his head hesitantly on Sam's shoulder. He lifted his hand and snapped, magically bringing the covers to rest on top of them, "I'll take the comfort."


End file.
